Can You Sell Cosmetics Close to Their Best-Before Date?

If you’re sitting on cosmetics stock that’s creeping toward its best-before date, the first question is usually whether you’re even allowed to sell it on. The short answer is yes, in most cases, but it’s worth understanding how cosmetics dating actually works in the UK before you do anything with that stock.

HOW DATING WORKS

How Cosmetics Are Dated Under UK Law

Cosmetics sold in the UK are covered by the UK’s assimilated version of the EU Cosmetics Regulation, and it sets out two different ways a product can show how long it’s good for.

If a product has a shelf life of 30 months or less, it needs a best-before date, sometimes called a date of minimum durability, shown with an hourglass symbol or wording like ‘best used before the end of.’

If a product is stable for longer than 30 months, it’s more likely to carry a Period After Opening symbol instead, the little open-jar icon with a number of months printed inside it, which tells the user how long it’s safe to use once it’s actually been opened.

Only one of the two applies to a given product, not both, and some long-life products with no real risk after opening don’t need either.

It’s a labelling requirement rather than a scientific expiry point that makes the product suddenly unsafe the day after, but it is a legal requirement, and supplying an incorrectly labelled cosmetic product is an offence under UK law.

THE DIRECT ANSWER

So, Is It Legal to Sell Near-Expiry Cosmetics?

In short:

• Yes. Stock that’s genuinely within its best-before date is legal to sell, however close it is to that date.
• The product must be accurately labelled and must not be misrepresented as having longer life left than it actually does.
• Once a product is past its best-before date, it generally can’t be legally supplied as new stock.

This isn’t legal advice for a specific situation, and if you’re dealing with a large or unusual batch it’s worth checking with Trading Standards or a compliance professional, but as a general rule, near-expiry stock that’s honestly within date is stock you’re entitled to sell.

NEAR-EXPIRY VS EXPIRED

Why Near-Expiry Stock Is a Different Conversation to Expired Stock

It’s worth being clear about the difference, because the two get lumped together a lot.

Near-expiry, or short-dated, stock is still within its date and still safe and legal to sell, it’s simply running out of time before that changes. Expired stock has already passed that point, and at that stage the conversation shifts from selling it on to disposing of it properly, which is a different and more restricted process.

This is exactly the window our near-expiry buying service is built around, catching stock before it crosses that line.

WHAT BUSINESSES TYPICALLY DO

What Businesses Typically Do With Near-Expiry Stock

• Discount it heavily through their own site or a clearance channel, which can work but often undercuts full-price stock in the process.
• Try to donate it, though many charities have their own date restrictions and won’t take stock that’s too close to expiry.
• Sell it in bulk to a specialist buyer, which clears it in one transaction while there’s still genuine value left in it.
• Leave it and let the date pass, which turns a sellable asset into a disposal cost.

BEFORE YOU SELL

What to Check Before Selling Near-Expiry Stock

• Confirm the actual best-before dates or batch codes across the stock.
• Separate anything that’s already passed its date from stock that’s still within it.
• Note quantities by product and category, since pricing varies across skincare, makeup, haircare and fragrance.
• Flag anything with damaged packaging alongside the date information.

FAQS

Common Questions About Selling Near-Expiry Cosmetics

Do cosmetics legally need a best-before date in the UK?

Products with a shelf life of 30 months or less need a best-before date. Products stable for longer than that are more likely to carry a Period After Opening symbol instead, and some long-life products need neither.

What’s the difference between a best-before date and PAO?

A best-before date is the point up to which the sealed, unopened product is guaranteed to be good. The PAO symbol, the open-jar icon with a number inside it, tells the user how many months the product is safe to use once it’s been opened.

Can I sell cosmetics that are past their best-before date?

Generally no. Once stock is genuinely past its best-before date, it isn’t something that can legally be supplied as new stock, and it needs to be handled as waste rather than resold.

Who regulates cosmetics sales in the UK?

Cosmetics fall under the UK’s assimilated Cosmetics Regulation, enforced through Trading Standards. It covers labelling, safety and how products can be supplied on the UK market.

Got Stock Running Out of Time?

We buy near-expiry and short-dated cosmetics stock from UK businesses before it crosses into expired territory. Get a quote while there’s still time on it [Link: Sell Near-Expiry Cosmetics Stock page].

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